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The Blogger Behind the Books Tag

Our team wanted to learn more about each other, but we also wanted to incorporate the things that had brought us all together – books! So we put together this tag with a few different books and the conversations they started. I hope you enjoy it!

The rest of Sky Blue will be posting over the next few days, so make sure you check out their blogs, too!

I graduated from high school back in the summer of 2009. Yes, that’s over six years ago, don’t rub it in. I attended a relatively small international school in Yokohama, Japan, but then everything is pretty small over there. I think there were about 40 of us in the year. I was 17, and I was so excited. I can remember the bustle beforehand, everyone trying to squeeze into the downstairs changing rooms of the gym to put on their gowns and shoes. Our gowns were a gloriously bright red, which I loved.

The ceremony went well, with no one tripping. We were handed our certificate sets (because we also had a copy written in Japanese for funsies), we shook hands with important people, we sang Don’t Stop Me Now by Queen. It was amazing.

Afterwards, still in my gown, I walked down the hill to the shopping street and had dinner at Yoshinoya with some friends, including some who had graduated in previous years. I had a beef bowl, one of the fast food chain’s signature dishes, which I’d first started eating –strangely enough– at a Yoshinoya in Shanghai, China. If you ever come across a Yoshinoya, I highly recommend these. Nom nom nom.

We then walked over to the country club that all the local expats went to, Yokohama Country & Athletic Club, or YCAC. It’s about a half hour walk from where we were to the club, but we were so happy to be with each other that it went by quickly. I think we did lose most of the gang at some point during that walk, but a few of us did make it to the club. We just talked and laughed late into the night, with all but myself and two of my guy friends remained.

To make this into a love triangle moment, I’d had a crush on both of these guys at some point. They were both older; one had graduated the year before, and the other had graduated three years before and had come all the way from the States for my graduation. At least that’s what he told me, but I’m sure he had other reasons! I wish I was still friends with them, as they were so awesome… The older one has actually moved back to Japan. I’m so jealous!!!

The club was closed, but it had an outdoor pool, and it was hot. Because we were so high on life (not drugs), the older guy and I decided to jump the fence and take a midnight swim. I did this wearing my graduation gown, because why the hell not?! I can still remember jumping in, the pure joy I felt.

At some point, the younger of the two guys had to leave us, leaving me alone with the older guy. We lay out on the sports field all night, him talking to me about college life and the girl he thought wanted him to ask her out. Looking back, I think there were a few ~moments~ where it could have progressed, but I was scared and inexperienced, so I ignored them. You know, the whole charged eye contact, lying side by side in the dark with only the stars and the moon to see each others’ faces by. I regret it a little because that would have been a killer story – my own YA contemporary romance moment!

Oh man, this is a hard one… I’m going to give the most random of answers haha…

A couple months ago, the boyfriend and I went to Amsterdam. While there, he took me to this really teeny artsy restaurant. You could order a number of courses (with wine pairings), and the chefs surprised you. (You could luckily specify allergies and things you didn’t like, so I got a veggie course when the boyfriend got seafood.) The food was SO INCREDIBLY AMAZING. I finally understood the idea of mindful eating, as I spent ages on each mouthful, experimenting with the different components of each dish and the wine pairings. If it had been a normal meal, we would have finished within an hour, but we had four courses and were sitting there for over two hours. I even ate pigeon, which is actually really nice!

YALC! I remember being so nervous in the run-up to the Young Adult Literature Convention in July, first buying a Friday ticket, then a Sunday ticket, before managing to secure someone’s Saturday ticket they couldn’t use. I was terrified of the crowds and whether I’d be an awkward turtle wandering about on my own. Instead, I had a blast. I mean, how could I not, being surrounded by fellow book lovers and seeing fantastic authors?

I’m so buying the weekend ticket next year!!!

Ok, maybe this is going to sound weird, but I’m going to say Sheryl Sandberg for this. In case you didn’t know, Sheryl is the COO of Facebook and author of Lean In. I read Lean In a few years ago, and while I had already started being aware of feminist issues and my career, this book really brought it all to the forefront of my mind.

Since then, I’ve been more active in my career choices, rather than just passively letting things develop on their own. I’ve also paid more attention to issues around equality since, in developed and developing countries. I have Sheryl to thank for inspiring me to raise my hand and look around me!

Also, I have leadership skills, yo.

Um, what don’t I fangirl over? I go through phases, but I have recently been fangirling over Tom Hiddleston. This is completely Elise Kova’s fault. I can’t watch this gif without my heart constricting and my breath stopping.

Since I grew up moving around, I don’t really have an exact place to call home. Instead, I learned to think of anywhere my family was as home. My family is in South Africa now, so I’m pretty permanently homesick. I can’t wait to be back there in December… I miss you guys… :'(

I’m going to go with Nori on this one and say that I probably shouldn’t be in love with so many fictional guys. BUT I’M NOT GOING TO GIVE THEM UP. I’m keeping my Warner and my Aldrik and, yes, even my Edward. SPUNK RANSOM!!! (If you get this reference, you are awesome.)

Who here guessed that I suggested this book for the tag? 😀

Ooooh serious question to finish off. I think elements of our daily lives are dystopian, and it varies from place to place.

I can’t help but think of online surveillance as a bit dystopian, especially when some countries go as far as to block access to things, like in China and North Korea. Then you have other countries that control the media. Actually, I think that happens to an extent in most countries.

I wonder how close certain places are to what was depicted in 1984 by George Orwell, or even Cory Doctorow’s Little Brother.

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